The School of Nursing at the University College of the Cayman Islands is encouraging residents interested in nursing to explore the possibilities available right here in the jurisdiction to get into the profession.
The UCCI School of Nursing is the premier provider of professional nursing education in the Cayman Islands. It says its mission is to “prepare students to be highly skilled, knowledgeable, compassionate professional nurses through committed educators, world-class technology and current scientific knowledge and pedagogies.”
With most of the healthcare providers currently non-Caymanians, a special appeal is being made for nationals especially to consider the profession, which in many circumstances is seen as more of a career, a calling and a vocation more than just a job.
Nurse Quida Johnson-Shirley, Programme Director at the School of Nursing and lecturer Jusene Brown, have been on the Caymanian Times programme, Cayman Conversations outlining UCCI’s nurse training programme.
The School of Nursing provides full training and accredited certification without trainee nurses having to travel overseas which was the requirement previously.
“The Caymanians who are trained nurses had to travel overseas or the US or UK to be trained. So now we can train them here. It’s also equally important to our younger students that they don’t have to leave an island to study for the degree which they have done in the past.”
With the Cayman Islands being positioned as a global centre for healthcare provision and health tourism, this in turn is seen as creating many career opportunities in the profession.
UCCI sees itself at the forefront of this effort by developing a cohort of trained nursing personnel to meet the demands of the growing sector and also to provide world-standard healthcare to residents.
The nursing school offers guidance and support to persons entering the profession either directly out of school or considering a career change.
“We have seen numerous persons who have had a career change and who are present in the programme right now. And it’s a great balance because you can help the younger ones with somebody be mature. So we have seen that and they are also excelling…We give them a supportive environment.”
UCCI’s School of Nursing offers a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. Graduates are eligible to write the Nursing Council of Jamaica approved and administered Regional Examination for Nurse Registration (RENR) to obtain the Registered Nurse title, a requirement for practising nursing legally.
“If you have an interest in nursing or working in healthcare, we encourage you to sign up. We can discuss and work around you to be ready to join the cohort in the first year, It is a rewarding profession. You wake up every morning impacting the lives of multiple persons from your patients to family members.”
The interview with Quida Johnson-Shirley, UCCI Programme Director, School of Nursing and UCCI nursing course lecturer Jusene Brown is part of the current series of Cayman Conversations. Listen back to the full interview in the programme on the Caymanian Times website, Facebook page and YouTube channel.
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